Appliance Repair in 19145 · South Philadelphia

A modern washer pumps water out quickly, faster than an old washer did. In a basement where the machine empties into a laundry tub, a tub drain partly clogged with lint can fill and overflow during the spin cycle. Where the hose goes into a standpipe, a standpipe that is too short or too narrow, or a hose pushed in too deep, can cause overflow or siphoning, which shows up as a washer that keeps draining while it fills.

A lint trap or mesh sock on the end of the drain hose protects the tub drain, and clearing it every few loads helps a lot. If the washer itself is slow to drain, shows a drain error or leaves clothes soaking wet, the drain pump filter on a front loader or the pump on a top loader may be clogged with socks, coins or hair ties.

Water rising from the floor drain is a different problem. Much of older Philadelphia is on a combined sewer, and during heavy rain the sewer can back up into basement drains. If the water comes up from the floor drain rather than from the machine, that is a plumbing and sewer issue, not a washer fault, and the washer should be checked for water damage to its motor and controls afterward.

Light the basement stairs and the space around the machines, and clear a path down. Note whether the washer drains into a tub or a standpipe, and whether water has ever come up through the floor drain. If you can, leave the washer as it stopped so the technician can see the water level.